Unlocking Winners

Handicapping strategies and picks for top Thoroughbred races

April 2014 - Posts

By Ed DeRosa Picking a Kentucky Derby favorite is much easier than picking the Kentucky Derby winner, but tabbing his (and 19 others’) off odds is among the more difficult guessing games in the Sport of Kings. Of this I’m certain: California Chrome will be favored and Wicked Strong will be second choice. After that, there are questions: What will California Chrome’s price actually be? Will Wicked Strong...Read More

While we wait for more two-year-old racing to start, Brisnet.com pedigree handicapper and blogger Doug Salvatore will profile each of the expected Kentucky Derby starters in terms of classic breeding and current form/speed. This final installment of three looks at the top contenders ranked in the bottom third of the prospective field by points on the TwinSpires.com Kentucky Derby Championship Series...Read More

Many skilled handicappers treat pedigree analysis as though it should be left for those whose primary aim is the buying, selling, or breeding of horses. There are countless examples, new and old, of the maddening uncertainty associated with this subject. One hundred years ago, Roamer was the champion three-year-old and is credited with 1914 Horse of the Year recognition. He was sired by a "teaser stallion...Read More

FRIDAY The G2 Elkhorn Stakes Keeneland, Race 9 By Alan Mann The Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes has drawn an overflow field of 14 on Friday's closing day card at Keeneland. Hangover Kid (10-1) stretches out to a mile and a half after returning from a 105-day layoff to race at a mile and a sixteenth. This somewhat lightly raced (record of 21-6-6-3) six-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid has never run quite this...Read More

The G3 Coolmore Lexington Stakes Keeneland, Race 9 By Robert Finnegan 11 horses are entered in the Grade 3 Coolmore Lexington, to be run at a mile and 1/16 on Polytrack, and what the race lacks in Kentucky Derby implications, it makes up for in chaos. More than half the field (including the two favorites on the morning line) has never raced on synthetic. Several horses enter off terrible efforts. Several...Read More

While we wait for more two-year-old racing to start, Brisnet.com pedigree handicapper and blogger Doug Salvatore will profile each of the expected Kentucky Derby starters in terms of classic breeding and current form/speed. The second installment looks at the top contenders ranked eighth through 14 th by points on the TwinSpires.com Kentucky Derby Championship Series . For FREE Ultimate Past Performances...Read More

While we wait for more two-year-old racing to start, Brisnet.com pedigree handicapper and blogger Doug Salvatore will profile each of the expected Kentucky Derby starters in terms of classic breeding and current form/speed. The first installment looks at the top seven contenders as ranked by the Kentucky Derby points system . For FREE Ultimate Past Performances with comments of probable Derby entrants...Read More

Sunday's ninth race at Keeneland is a very exciting third-level allowance race for fillies and mares going a mile on the turf. The most intriguing horse in the race is the French invader Filimbi. In her most recent start, Filimbi nicely captured a Listed Stakes race at Chantilly over heavy ground last November. Filimbi is a product of two former Juddmonte owned and Bobby Frankel trained stars. In fact...Read More

Saturday's Blue Grass card at Keeneland features numerous Graded Stakes races, however, we'll shift our focus to a trio of treacherous Maiden Special Weight events starting with race four. Race 4: A wide-open field of 11 three-year-old fillies going two-turns over Polytrack in this contest. The Brisnet.com Speed Rating par for this race is an 83, and no horse in this field has ever run that fast. The...Read More

Welcome to Predicteform’s Featured Race of the Week. Most weekends, the research staff at Predicteform will select a Graded Stakes Race and provide an in-depth analysis of the Pace Figures and Form Cycle Pattern of each starter. Please see the Legend or Pattern Guide for back-up definitions and patterns. View the Pace Figures here for the Arkansas Derby while reviewing the race analysis. For Brisnet...Read More

Friday The G1 Maker's 46 Mike Keeneland, Race 9 By Jason Perlmutter The Maker's Mile features the return of a true equine hero in two-time defending Horse of the Year Wise Dan, who is making his first start of 2014. As a fan of this giant-hearted gelding, it will be tough to oppose him. Beyond fandom is the fact that Wise Dan is 11-for-12 lifetime on the turf, and he sustained his only loss over two...Read More

Predicteform Feature Race of the Week The Predicteform Feature Race of the Week ' target="_blank" mce_href='/controlpanel/blogs/ Predicteform Feature Race of the Week '>TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial from Aqueduct Racetrack Welcome to Predicteform’s Feature Race of the Week! Most weekends, the research staff at Predicteform will select a graded stakes race and provide an overview with Pace Figure and...Read More

RACE 1 (click for FREE Brisnet.com Ultimate Past Performances with comments ) We have our first dash of the meet for babies going 4 ½ furlongs, and trainer Wesley Ward sends out an uncoupled entry of 2-to-1 morning line favorite Climb In Back as well as Time Out of Mind (4-to-1). Before I discuss any horse, I must profile Wesley Ward’s past accomplishments in this type of race at Keeneland. A dozen...Read More

The G1 Wood Memorial Aqueduct, Race 10 By Robert Finnegan The long and winding road to the Kentucky Derby makes its way back to Aqueduct today, with 11 three-year-old colts running nine furlongs. 100 Derby points go to the winner, 40 to the second-place finisher, 20 to the third-place finisher, and 10 to the fourth-place finisher. In other words, this race has a distinct do-or-die quality to it for...Read More

This Saturday, Social Inclusion will make his much-anticipated stakes debut in the $1,000,000 Wood Memorial (gr. I) at Aqueduct, one of four grade I races for three-year-olds being run this weekend....Read More

RACE TWO (click race for PPs): Radiant (8-to-5 morning line) and Follow The Kitten (9-to-5) are expected to vie for favoritism. Both horses have obvious credentials and are dropping from the Maiden Special Weight level, where they have burnt a lot of money (no wins in five tries as the favorite between them, and neither has been worse than 5-to-1 in any of their combined 10 starts). There are two interesting...Read More